


bloom and grow

by thisissirius



Series: eddie week 2021 [3]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: First Dates, Language of Flowers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-15 10:27:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29807019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisissirius/pseuds/thisissirius
Summary: There are flowers in the foot well of the car.Buck stares at them, then up at the house. He can do this. It’s easy; just walk up steps as he’s done a hundred times, knock on the door and wait for it to open.Maybe the flowers are too much. But if he doesn’t take them, they’ll still be there when they get in the car together, and then they’ll get crushed and—Swiping the flowers from the floor, trying not to crush them, he clambers out of the car, feeling unsteady. It’s not the first date he’s ever been on so he doesn’t know why he’s suddenly lost all coordination and ability to function like a human being.day two of eddie week: soft + this is nice
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: eddie week 2021 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2189430
Comments: 16
Kudos: 252





	bloom and grow

**Author's Note:**

> help i love them so much

There are flowers in the foot well of the car. 

Buck stares at them, then up at the house. He can do this. It’s easy; just walk up steps as he’s done a hundred times, knock on the door and wait for it to open. 

Maybe the flowers are too much. But if he doesn’t take them, they’ll still be there when they get in the car together, and then they’ll get crushed and— 

Swiping the flowers from the floor, trying not to crush them, he clambers out of the car, feeling unsteady. It’s not the first date he’s ever been on so he doesn’t know why he’s suddenly lost all coordination and ability to function like a human being. 

Buck takes a deep breath as he raises a hand to knock, but the door opens before he can make contact. 

“Hi,” Eddie says. He looks— 

Okay, Buck knows he’s the one who suggested the date, but Eddie’s got no right looking so good. How’s he supposed to, the flowers!

Thrusting out the flowers, Buck almost smacks them into Eddie’s face. “For you.”

Eddie jerks back, surprised, and Buck doesn’t see a change in his face. “Oh.”

“If you want them,” Buck hurries to say. “If they’re not your thing, I can—”

“No,” Eddie says quickly, reaching out for the flowers. Now that they’re not getting in the way, Buck can see the flush on Eddie’s cheek, the way his eyes don’t stray from the slightly crushed daffodils in the front. Wiping his sweaty hands on his jeans, Buck hesitates, not sure why this feels so awkward. Eddie looks up, eyes bright, and he reaches out a hand. Buck takes it, relaxing as Eddie pulls him into the house. “Does this feel awkward for you too?”

Buck lets out a relieved breath. “Yes. Everything feels so much.”

“It’s because this matters,” Eddie says, almost as an aside, and disappears towards the kitchen.

Standing in the hall, Buck’s a little shellshocked. Eddie’s right; it  _ does _ matter. With anyone else, everything getting fucked up means nothing. If he fucks things up with Eddie, Buck’s not sure he’ll know what to do. 

Eddie pokes his head around the door. “Come in, Buck.”

“I thought we were going out,” Buck says, toeing off his shoes and walking into the kitchen. 

The flowers are still in Eddie’s hands. Well, some of them are. Most of them are resting on the counter, waiting to be put into water, but Eddie’s holding the daffodils. “Abuela used to have these in her garden.”

“I know,” Buck says gently. 

Eddie looks up. “What?”

“This isn’t,” Buck starts, swallows. “It’s a bunch I had specially made. They’re all flowers from your abuela’s garden. Those,” he says, pointing to the carnations, “are because Sophia said you had some at home.”

“We did.” Eddie’s voice sounds weird. 

Buck puts his hands in his pockets for something to do with them, suddenly embarrassed. “They mean things too.”

Laughing, Eddie finds an old jug under the sink and fills it with water. “I don’t doubt it. What do they mean?”

It takes Buck a moment to reply; not because he doesn’t know the answer. He’s read enough about the language of flowers that he could probably give Eddie an entire gardenful of knowledge. It’s because Eddie’s asking and he cares. He always listens, always remembers, even when it’s about subjects he’s got no interest in.

“The carnations mean passion. Maybe deep love,” Buck says, finding his voice.

Eddie nods, a smile twitching at his lips. “Hoping I’m easy enough to put out on a first date?” 

It shocks a laugh out of Buck. “I think we’ve earned it.”

Humming, Eddie doesn’t deny it. He picks up the daffodils, the last to go in the jug. “And these?”

“Regard,” Buck explains, taking a step closer. Eddie slides the daffodils into the jug and looks up. Buck breathes slow, rests a hand on Eddie’s hip. “Rebirth, new beginnings. But mostly unequalled love.”

Eddie doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t have to. His hands raise to Buck’s face, around to his neck. There’s a wealth of emotion in his eyes, the expressions that don’t quite settle on his face. To Buck, Eddie’s an open book. He knows every chapter, ever footnote, every word. Eddie thinks it will scare him, at some point, the things Eddie keeps close to his chest. He can’t know Buck sees it all, wants it anyway. 

“I love you,” Buck says, pressing a kiss to the corner of Eddie’s mouth. 

Eyes slipping closed, Eddie moves his hands to Buck’s hair, returns the kiss gently. “We could cancel the reservation.”

“Eddie—”

“I just want to be here,” Eddie admits, looking Buck in the eye. “I don’t want—I just want to be us. As we are normally. We can eat out,” he explains, “maybe sometimes, but you don’t have to impress me. I love you anyway.”

Buck’s chest tightens with emotion. “I wasn’t going to say no,” he explains. “I’m nervous because you’re right, this does matter. If we make a mess of this, I don’t think I’ll be okay.”

“Neither will I,” Eddie says quietly. Buck knows what it costs him to admit it. “So we don’t mess it up.”

There’s a protest on Buck’s tongue, but he swallows it down. It’s easy to say, not so easy to do, but Buck’s got faith in them. “Alright.”

“Come on,” Eddie says. “You order food and I’ll find a movie.”

It’s easy; Buck grabs them dinner while Eddie searches through Netflix for something they haven't seen a hundred times. It still amuses Buck that Eddie will give Netflix his bank account details and access to various devices around his house, but Hildy is persona(ish) non grata. Eddie sits on the edge of the couch and Buck runs a hand over his hair, scratching lightly at his scalp. Eddie’s shoulder is a warm presence against his leg. 

Maybe it’s not the dinner he was looking forward to, but he knows that’s not them. Maybe they’ll go on a date sometime, but they don’t have to get to know each other. They don’t need to break the ice, or discover the things they like about each other. They already know everything there is to know. They see each other, the good and the bad. They love each other anyway, despite those things, or maybe because of them. 

Something about this feels  _ better _ . 

Their dinner is mostly eaten on the coffee table when the movie ends. Buck’s stretched on the couch, slowly migrating downward until he pillows his head on the arm, legs a little too long so he’s got them bent slightly. Eddie’s tucked up against him, mostly squashed between the back of the couch and the line of Buck’s body, but he’s comfortable. Arm slung over Buck’s waist, cheek pillowed on Buck’s chest, his hair tickling Buck’s chin. 

“This is nice,” he says, when the credits roll. 

Eddie hums. “A good idea.”

“Alright,” Buck says on a laugh, “don’t get cocky.”

“Why not?” There’s a pleased smile on Eddie’s face when he looks up. “It was my idea.”

Buck scowls. “I got you flowers.”

Eddie’s face softens, shadows giving way to delight and a happiness that hits Buck hard. Handsome on a good day, when he’s happy, truly happy, Eddie’s the best thing Buck’s ever seen. “Yeah, you did.”

“I love you,” Buck says again, because Eddie deserves to hear it all the time. 

Again, the smile softens into something more, something breathtaking. “I love you too.”

Eddie curls back around him, fingers curled in Buck’s shirt. They’ll fall asleep that way, Buck knows, and he doesn’t mind, even if he’ll have to deal with pain in the morning. It’s worth it for this moment, and those that have come before. For the moments that’ll happen later. 

When they wake, Eddie’s face will be pressed into Buck’s neck, his legs twisted around Buck’s. 

When they wake, Buck will tease Eddie about cooking breakfast and Eddie will pretend to hate it. 

When they wake, Buck will catch Eddie looking at the daffodils, running a finger over them.

“Unequalled love,” Eddie will say to himself, that smile back on his face, and Buck will know he made the right choice. 

With the flowers, with his life, with  _ Eddie _ .

**Author's Note:**

> hi :)


End file.
